Nurture & Discord - OpenAI's Path to Profit

In the most recent OpenAI blog post, posted just before the New Year, the world's most famous technology organization laid out its vision for evolving its structure to advance its mission. What you may have missed in your first read through is that this moment is as much about humanity as it is about technology. And ultimately, it is about navigating the interplay between meteoric technological growth and the enduring complexities of the human condition.

The challenge of this era is not merely reduced to how we harness AI’s potential for profit, but how we ensure that it enriches the lives of individuals while reinforcing our shared human values, which seem to be slipping away with each proclamation disguised as a blog post.

Sam Altman emphasizes, change is essential to advance artificial intelligence responsibly. And as someone who leads others in change for a living, I cannot disagree. But amidst the transformative potential of AI, these questions, still unanswered, permeate like a postscript.?

• How do we stay anchored to our humanity??
• How do we ensure that in seeking technological breakthroughs, we do not overlook the very essence of what makes us human?

The Call to Evolve

OpenAI’s supposed structural evolution is meant to reflect a pivotal point of AI’s increasing integration into society. As the post highlights, adapting their approach ensures the safety, transparency, and utility of AI systems for all. But how exactly? One of the many reasons I am not a fan of the word “ensure” is because it leaves so much room for a lack of accountability.?

A stronger non-profit supported by the for-profit’s success.

These pronouncements dressed as goals are intended to resonate with business leaders, policymakers, and citizens alike? As AI technologies continue to disrupt, declaw and destruct industries, workplaces, and social norms, the call to "ensure the safety, transparency and utility" feels a little past due. And as I read the post a second and third time, it feels like a move from 1 to 2, from mission to make, and from inspiration to desperation. Just look at all the references throughout pointing to articles about and by broligarchy competitors - Meta, Alphabet, Oracle, Microsoft and more.

And don’t think it goes unnoticed that many of these articles linked throughout are behind paywalls…oh, the irony in that choice made. And all internal links are about as helpful as pulling out an old yearbook from high school and reading the autographs of your friends to inform you of your future, most consequential life decisions. Not helpful.??

However, when I read the post almost as a story, an archetypal allegory practically paints itself onto the screen of my device. And like any good story, it has its protagonists and antagonists. I will leave the casting of megalomaniac MMA fighters in cages to the pundits. I prefer to take a mythopoetic perspective on events at hand in this techno-mythical strategy playing out before us.??

Nurture & Discord in Times Such as These

In Greek mythology (Iliad & Cypria) we learn of Eris, the Goddess of Discord, once uninvited to a wedding banquet hurls a golden apple (into the center of the room)? inscribed with the word ΚΑΛΛ?ΣΤΗΙ (Kallisti), which translates to "to the fairest" or "for the most beautiful one." This Golden Apple with a single inscribed word incites uproar and discord among the invited goddesses, for each stands with competing values of power they believe integral to humanity, thereby making them the fairest. When called upon to judge, Zeus felt conflicted as an arbiter, and wanted to avoid creating any strife between the values we needed in balance for the world’s harmony. So, he delegated the decision to a prince and former shepherd named Paris. Paris was believed to be fair and impartial due to his mortality and youth. His youth and naivete would prove to be the fateful judgment.?

And reflecting on the mythology we relearn that Paris himself waivered while considering competing values personified by Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. If he had chosen Hera for her power and leadership, then a path of service may have been laid. If he had chosen Athena for her power of wisdom, a path of intellect and great strategy would have revealed itself. And in choosing Aphrodite, whose power lay in desire, a path driven by passion and emotion eventually overtook Paris’ impartiality. Yes, desire and greed proved too tempting and led to far-reaching consequences.?

If we consider the primordial, clarion call of OpenAI’s mission, it is rooted in the want to benefit all of humanity. But sadly, attending a 160 billion dollar banquet of “bespokeness” Sam Altman finds himself needing to raise more capital “than we’d imagined.” And so, a Golden Apple is being hurled before the 300 million registered banquet attendees, all who want to be the fairest…well, maybe the richest for now? Rather than sew the seeds of nurture brought forth by deep connectedness, sustenance and existence, it feels like a preamble to a lesson we have long since learned and choose to forget time and time again.?

That hearth to hold the horn of plenty and nurture humanity didn’t make the casting call for this banquet. The task was to go find that temptress with the aureate apple to bring us the capital… along with the strife, discord, and rivalry. For isn’t that what fuels us at the core as humans? The insatiable inklings of human desires, including greed and envy? This too will lead to far reaching consequences.?

OpenAI’s pivot to profit invites us to consider the values that we choose to guide this transition toward AGI and the potential outcomes of the choices being made today on our tomorrows. Let us be clear that this shift is not merely a segment on Squawk Box to understand an organization’s governance, but rather a look into how we will govern ourselves as humans at the helm of this technology. This moment calls on every participant - paid subscriber or free user -? in the ecosystem to redefine their role in this emerging paradigm.

This evolution isn’t without its challenges. And this (r)evolution isn’t free. OpenAI’s goals speak to a broader truth. We are continuously being asked to choose. Humanity is navigating uncharted waters where the pace of technological advancement will continue to outstrip our collective understanding of its implications. And at what cost? It is not enough to simply build better tools, nor to do 12 days of product shipments; we must cultivate better frameworks for their use, by us and for us. These frameworks must balance innovation with ethical considerations, comitting that no group is left behind in the rush toward progress. The rush to be “the fairest” may lead to inequity, injustice and discord. Just ask Eris. Just ask Paris.

Humanity Remains the Compass in a Technological Era

The essence of leading change in the era of AI lies in balancing innovation with empathy. As articulated in past editions of this newsletter, technological advancement is as much about what the tools teach us about ourselves as the tools themselves. This era challenges us to ask more profound and provocative questions:?

• What does it mean to be human??
• What values should guide us as we shape systems with capabilities beyond our imagination?

AI’s capabilities exponentially increase everyday. And this forces us to confront our vulnerabilities unconsciously. It unearths an open paradox where, despite unparalleled access to knowledge, we wrestle with feelings of inadequacy. And that gap is widening. The sense of scarcity is increasing. And we must resist the urge to make decisions and investments from that place. It is within this tension where lies the greatest potential for growth.

We must begin by embracing all of these arising questions, finding our breath and remembering humanity lives at our fingertips and in our heartbeats. What we invest in becomes the inscription on the golden apple. Let us invest wisely this time. Let us be distinctly thoughtful, and discern from a place of deeper human connection. Let us get back to the mission.

Choices and capital driven by competing values serve to distract and detract us at this consequential time. Instead, let us find a safe, sweeping vista upon which to stand and calmly consult our compass to point our way to true north. Let the underpinnings of transparency, fairness and accountability usher in advancement.??

A Call to Action...For All of Us

As OpenAI evolves to meet its mission, we, too, must evolve in how we engage with AI. This is not just a technological journey; it’s a human one. Like Paris judging the three goddesses in their striving for the Golden Apple, we face competing values and must navigate decisions that will shape the future. Will we prioritize the wisdom and strategy, the power and governance, or the allure of immediate desires? These choices demand using new muscles of discernment, introspection, and the courage to ask questions that may not yet have answers.

For example, why are we demanding precious platelet donations in the form of power and water from the Earth when we haven’t acknowledged nor treated the arterial bleed caused by the makers of this technology? And when will we answer the resounding call for collaboration across disciplines, industries, governments and cultures to curate AI that serves as a bridge to a better future rather than a barrier and bulwark?

Let us lead with the values that honor the intricate interplay of innovation and humanity. Let us innovate to reflect our highest aspirations. And let us ask ourselves not the limiting question, “Do we trust AI?” Instead, let's ask the more telling question, “Do we trust ourselves using AI?”?

Together, we can shape an AI-infused world that prioritizes equity, empathy, and the enduring essence of what it means to be human.?

What is the alchemy of this moment for you? What choices will you make in 2025??What choices is Sam making in this moment?